Bob K0NR

Taking the Radio out of RadioShack

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You’ve probably heard that RadioShack is rebranding itself to be The Shack. This has triggered another round of criticism of RadioShack stores, with the usual tired references to “Rat Shack”, “Radio Schlock”, or worse. Apparently, RadioShack has failed to live up to the expectations of the technorati. Well, it is true: RadioShack is the worst … Read more

This Spewed Out of the Internet #7

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This is the usual “catch up” posting, when I don’t have a specific topic but try to share some interesting things flying by on the internet. I came across this article about poor passwords being the biggest computer security problem (as opposed to viruses and worms). OK, maybe so. Using passwords like “password” and “xyzzy” … Read more

This Spewed Out of the Internet #6

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Lots of interesting things spewing forth from the internet these days: Jeff KE9V articulated a compelling vision of web-based (“cloud computing”) ham radio logging. This caused a lively discussion among some readers (read through the comments on Jeff’s blog). I found the idea interesting but I am inherently suspicious of the notion of “cloud computing”.  … Read more

Standard USB: Missed It By That Much

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I’ve blogged in the past about the need for standardization, especially when it comes to computer cables and power adapters. I have been feeling quite good about the progress I have been making with my personal collection of electronic gizmos. I’ve noticed that most of them have lined up behind the idea of using a … Read more

XE1MEX Satellite DXCC

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During this busy Field Day weekend, I received an email from Alex XE1MEX reporting that he has achieved DXCC via Satellite. This is quite an accomplishment since he made most (or all?) of the contacts via LEO satellites. It turns out that I have worked XE1MEX several times on the FM birds from home and … Read more